


A House is Not a Home

by gleefulfan



Series: Operation Enduring Freedom [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-20
Updated: 2011-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-27 15:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/297280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleefulfan/pseuds/gleefulfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt anticipates Sam's return home from Iraq</p>
            </blockquote>





	A House is Not a Home

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the Dionne Warwick song of the same name.

It was around 1:00 am when Kurt finally made it back to his apartment building. As he walked up to his floor, he mentally blamed Tina for him being out so late the day before Sam was supposed to land. Kurt had wanted to go home right after work to make sure everything was ready, but Tina had insisted he come out with them, arguing that he’d already prepared everything and that she wouldn’t hear from him for the rest of the week, which to be fair, _was_ true. That didn’t change the fact that all Kurt really wanted to do was go home and watch the clock tick towards Saturday, so that it would finally be the day of Sam’s arrival.

They had generally known when Sam would be discharged for months now, but of course nothing’s simple with the army. Since Sam had been transferred, the rest of his unit wasn’t ending their tour at the same time. Sam had to find a seat on a plane that would get him to Fort Bragg. Then there was the paperwork, so much paperwork. Sam finally got everything settled about two weeks ago, with an itinerary that would get him to Bragg on Friday. Kurt booked him on the first flight to JFK on Saturday morning and had been obsessively counting down ever since.

It had been an unbearably long eight months since Kurt had last seen Sam’s face in person. He had thought that living a relationship in secret, without any physical contact, had been difficult but it was nothing compared to all these months thousands of miles away from the first man he had ever truly loved. After the events surrounding Puckerman’s injury and discharge, they had become slightly more reckless, but it had still fallen far too short of what they both needed.

But since Sam’s flight had been confirmed, Kurt had been a ball of excitement and anxiety. On the one hand, Kurt might finally experience life like he’d always dreamed, with a man by his side to share the highs and lows of life with. But on the other hand, what if things with Sam didn’t work? After all, they’d never even known each other in civilian life, only in the sand-filled army barracks of a foreign country. What if everything was different here, in the real world? What if the past year was a waste and Kurt was forced to pick up the pieces (again)?

Kurt tried to push these worrying thoughts out of his mind as he turned the corner. He loved Sam and Sam loved him and he would have to put some faith in that. As he looked up to his apartment door, though, all thoughts left his mind except for one- Sam was _home_.

Instead of the usual welcome mat, Kurt found Sam sitting against his front door, fast asleep with his duffel bag clutched in his arms. Kurt couldn’t help but tear up at the sight. He always thought of Sam as strong and brave, even in his most vulnerable moments, but Kurt didn’t think he’d ever seen Sam look more like a little boy than he did right now.

Kurt knelt down beside Sam and softly brushed his hair out of his eyes. The idea that he was now free to touch Sam whenever and wherever he wanted was almost too much to comprehend. But first he had to wake Sam up. Kurt put a hand on Sam’s cheek and placed a soft first kiss on Sam’s lips. The kiss was chaste but held the promise of a lifetime within it. Though it only lasted for a moment, it washed away all of Kurt’s earlier doubts.

Sam eyes fluttered open as Kurt pulled away. “Kurt?”

“Well, I also go by Prince Charming, but Kurt is fine. You’re early.”

Sam yawned and mumbled out a response “Took red-eye from Germany.” Sam’s eyes closed again before he shook his head and opened them again. “Sorry, haven’t slept in like two days.”

“It’s ok, you’re here now, that’s all that matters. I’m exhausted too; it’s been a long week. Let’s just go to bed and we can properly reunite tomorrow, ok?” Kurt threw Sam’s duffel bag over his shoulder and helped Sam to his feet. After unlocking the door, he guided Sam to the bedroom and dropped the bag at the foot of the bed.

“You just crawl into bed; I’m just going to jump in the shower and then I’ll be right behind you.” Sam only nodded and started kicking off his shoes. Confident that if Sam fell back asleep standing up, he would at least fall onto the bed, Kurt went over to the bathroom and closed the door.

He barely got the shower turned on before the tears came. Kurt’s emotions had been liked a rubber band stretched to the breaking point for over a year now, and the final snap was just too much. Sam was _home_ \- in America, in New York, in his apartment, in his bed. Kurt would never have to receive a phone call from a man he barely knew, telling him that he’d never see Sam again. He wouldn’t have to travel to Ohio to sit in the back of a funeral home, wracked with sobs as everyone whispered and wondered who he was.

Kurt managed to calm down and decided to not even bother with a shower. He opened the bathroom door quietly and tiptoed back into the bedroom. Sam had managed to strip down to his boxers before apparently falling face first onto the bed without bothering with the covers. Kurt took a moment to admire the ridiculously good body of the man in his bed (he’d seen Sam shirtless before, but never quite so intimately). Then he stripped himself and slipped into bed as well, managing to get the covers out from under Sam and covering them both.

At first, Kurt thought that maybe they should just stay on separate sides of the bed. After all, he didn’t know how Sam liked to sleep and Kurt hadn’t slept in the same bed as someone else in years. But then he thought of all the nights they’d spent apart and put an arm around Sam’s chest and pulled the two of them close together. Sam shifted in response, moving his own arm over Kurt’s and turning so that they were spooning properly. And as he drifted off to sleep, Kurt wondered whether he’d ever had a happier moment in his entire life than right now.

 _I’m not meant to live alone. Turn this house into a home._

 _When I climb the stair and turn the key,_

 _Oh, please be there still in love with me._


End file.
